Post #40

What we accomplished this week:

• Completed tetra build
• Completed squarebot build

This week we successfully completed the tetra build as well as the squarebot build. We weren't able to complete autonomous but we completed two of our goals so we are happy about that. This quarter has been very stressful, however, it has been a great learning experience for all of us. We have all worked really hard and enjoyed our time working on the robot.

Post #39

Goals for this week:

• Complete the tetra build
• Complete the squarebot build
• Complete autonomous

With only four days of full school days left, we have to speed up the process and finish whatever tasks we can. This week we plan on completing the tetra build as well as the squarebot build. We are working vigorously to finish these things as quickly as possible. If we have enough time left, we plan on going back to try and finish autonomous.

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Post #38

What we accomplished this week:

• Begin doing the tetra build

This week we did manage to begin building the tetra build, however, that's the only goal we set that we were able to accomplish his week. We still have not finished autonomous due to some technical difficulties, but we are getting really close to finishing it. We plan on doing the squarebot build after we finish autonomous. Hopefully by next week, we can finish autonomous before finals start.

Post #37

The Goals For This Week Are:

• Finish Autonomous

• Finish Squarebot Build 

• Begin Building The Tetra

This quarter is coming to an end and now it is crunch time. We are almost done with the autonomous and although we are several months behind and it has been a long journey, we have learned a lot from it. Hopefully we will be able to complete 3 assignments this week.

Post #36

What we accomplished this week:

• Install the motors in the robot
• Made the robot steer straight
• Went around the chairs twice

This week we installed the new motors that we got as well as made the robot go around the chairs twice. Also, while we were perfecting our code, we found out how to make our robot steer straight instead of it curving to the left. Hopefully by next week we ca make our robot go around the chairs 3 times.

Post #35

Goals for this week:

• Make the robot go around the chair 3 times
• Start working on the next project

This week we plan on making the robot go around the chair 3 times so that we can start working on the next project. Mr. Martin gave us some newer motors that can help our robot perform better. Now all we have to do is finish installing the motor and we will be closer to completing autonomous.

Post #34

What we accomplished this week:

• Tighten all the loose screws on the robot
• Adjust our code to fit our robot

This week we didn't manage to accomplish the goals that we set. However, we happened to do other things necessary to make our robot do autonomous. We tightened some screws that were hindering the robot's performance and we adjusted our code to go along with our robot better.

Post #33

Goals for this week:

• Finish coding the autonomous
• Make the robot go around the chairs

This week we are back in our original room and now we can finally start working on our robot again. Now that we are in our room again, we plan on making the perfect code for our robot and successfully make it go around the chair at least once.

Post #32

What we accomplished this week:

• We finished replacing the axles on the robot

This week we finished replacing and fixing the parts on the robot. Last week we figured out what the problem was so everything from this point on should be smooth sailing. Unfortunately, we have been relocated to the portables so we couldn't really get anything done. Hopefully by next week we can complete the goals that we set this week.

Post #31

Our Goals For This Week Are:

• Finish replacing the axles for  the robot
• Finish coding the autonomous
• Make the robot go around the chairs

We figured out that the reason why our robot won't move in a straight line is because the motor isn't tightened. We have to change the axles for the motors in order to fix this problem. Because we are being relocated this week due to EOC testing, we don't expect to complete many of the goals. 

Post #30

What we accomplished this week:

• Found a fixed place for our robot to start at
• Made the robot go in a straight line

This week we didn't manage to accomplish all the goals that we set this week. While we were seriously close to completing one of them, another mishap happened. One of the motors weren't running right. However, we are currently working on fixing the problem so that we can continue on. Hopefully by next week we can definitely accomplish the goals that we set this week.

Post #29

Goals for this week:

• Make it around the chairs twice
• Begin on our third lap around the chairs

This week we plan on getting the robot to make it around the chairs twice. We have been working on perfecting our code so that the robot can flawlessly go around without any problems. So far our current code has been working fine with a couple of complications. Once we finish the second lap, we can start working on the third lap.

Post #28

What we accomplished:

• Robot went around the chair once
• Fixed the motor on the robot

This week we managed to take one part of our robot apart to tighten some screws that were loose. We also added new screws to places that needed it. We continued to work on the coding to try and get our robot to go around a second time. However, we haven't been too successful with our attempt. Hopefully next week we can get it to go around twice if not three times around the two chairs.

Post #27

What we accomplished:

• We finished the coding for the first lap around the chairs.
• We also learned a bit more about the structure of code. 

Today we continued to work on our RobotC Code for our Robot. We are getting a bit used to the code structure and are more capable of changing and adding certain things. Over the course of this week we managed to accomplish one whole lap around the two chairs.

Post #26

Today we managed to figure out how to change the variables in the speed and power to help and allow our robot to stop turning as it tries to go straight. Along with this we also discovered that certain things in our code such as the wait-time, played a major component in what we need to be able to get around the track. We also did a bit of maintenance along the way due to the robot hitting the chairs and loosening up the bolt.

Post #25

Goals for this week:

• Get the robot to do autonomous
• Begin working on the robot arm

This week we plan on getting the robot to perform autonomous so we can work on the robot arm. Today we got help from Mr. Martin and he fixed the communication problem we were having with the robot. Now we can begin the process of coding so we can finally get autonomous done so we can move on to the next level.

Post #24

This week we accomplished every goal we set this week. We managed to polish up our robot and replace the old motor with a new one. We tried connecting our robot to the computer, however, we had some difficulty connecting. Hopefully we can get the robot to work next week so we can get the robot to do autonomous.

Post #23

Goals for this week:

• Tighten up all the loose screws
• Put in a new motor

This week we plan on putting all the finishing touches on the robot. This means making sure everything on the robot is secure and safe. We also plan on replacing one of our motors because it started to give us problems. By the end of the week, we should be getting ready to program.

Post #22

What we accomplished:

• We attached the battery and receiver to the robot
• We connected the robot to the computer and began programming today

This week we connected the rest of the essential parts to the robot. We had some difficulty getting the communication to work. However, we finally figured out how to get it connected with the computer. We tried to program the robot, but we didn't get very far. When we come back from break, we hope to have the robot moving autonomously.

Post #21

Today we were able to come over to the computers and get our robot synced with the computer. It took awhile for the Robot to finally connect to the computer and allow us to begin programming. It took a whole two days before it would work. But we finally got it to and the results came out well. We are now onto programming it to use duel joysticks.

Post #20

What we accomplished:

• Finished building the robot
• Positioned the screws in the correct place

This week we completed building our robots. We weren't able to connect the battery to the brain because all the batteries were dead. It took us two weeks to build the robot, half of what it took us to draw it on the computer. Next week we hope to start programming.

Post #19

Goals for this week:

• Build the canopy
• Finish the robot

This week we plan on continuing to build our Robot. We finally got the correct parts so that the wheels could turn properly. Also we had to adjust the length of the railing so that we could have the Robot completely sturdy.

Post #18

What we accomplished:

• Built the basic structure of the robot.
• Got all the screws in place

This week we built the basic structure of the robot. On the computer, this took us approximately  weeks. Next week we hope to be completely finished with the canopy and the robot.

Post #17

Goals For This Week

• Build the basic structure of the robot
• Put the screws in the correct places

This week we will begin to physically build our robot. We believe it will be a lot easier since we already know the names of most of the parts.

Post #16

Goals Accomplished:

• We managed to separate 2 red bins worth of nuts and screws
• We connected enough screws and nuts to file up 1 green bin

This week was very productive, for we managed to organize over two bins worth of screws and nuts. Although it wasn't the most exciting thing, it saved us tons of time when we began to assembly our robot during class. We are very excited for next week as we continue to build our robot.

Post #15

Goals for this Week:

• Separate the vex screws and nuts
• Organize the vex screws and nuts into separate bins
• Set aside any odd findings

Since we have finally finished assembling our robot on Solidworks, we can finally get to the physical labor. In order to make our work load easier, we are going to separate the vex screws and nuts into different piles. This in turn will make locating necessary components for the robot easier to find.

Post #14

Goals Accomplished:

• Connected the canopy to the base assembly
• Finished all our mates, although we weren't all fixed mates
• Everything was positioned correctly

Today I continued to work on our Vex Robot on SolidWorks. I finally got everything in the correct position's and managed to mate them together. We still are having a bit of an issue of making the mates stay in place along with the parts. We shall continue to work on this and see if we can get some progress done.

Post #13

Goals for this week :

• Finish the Re-Modeled version of the robot
• Make sure all the mates are in tact
• Connect the base model with the Canopy

Today we continued to work on our SolidWorks Robot. We decided it would be a good idea to start over and get some parts and other area's mated correctly so the Robot is not able to move around as we click and drag certain area's. Along with that we also managed to get the canopy together and mate it to the top of our Robot.

Post #12

Goals Accomplished:

• Finished the basic structure of the squarebot
• Finished the canopy
• Began putting on the wheels

At the conclusion of this exhausting week, we managed to re-assembly the basic structure of the squarebot. We realized that having multiple mates on a single part is what made our last squarebot so dysfunctional. Surprisingly, we were able to finish the basis of the robot in one week, compared to the 2 weeks it took us before.

Post #11

Goals for this week

• Re-design the robot so all the components are locked into place
• Re-do the mates so the robot parts are not over defined
• Re-place the parts so they don't move when one piece is touched.

Today we were pretty glad to be able to be finished with our Solid works Square Bot. We spent most of the class period taking care of our blog and updating and adding certain aspects that were needed or that needed to be changed. When we were playing around with our robot, we realized that many of the mates were off. Although our robot was finished and looked okay physically, beneath the surface, many of the mates were constructed poorly.

Post #10

Goals Accomplished:

• Finished building the base assembly
• Finished building the canopy
• Finished the wire assembly

Today we put all the finishing touches on the Solid-Works Bot base assembly, but we couldn't connect the finished canopy to the bot. We managed to complete most of our goals for this week except for mastering how to code for the robot. Even though we had a difficult time putting together the whole thing, it was a fun process. 

Post #9

The Goals For This Week Are:

• Finish the Chassis Subassembly and connect it to he Canopy Assembly on Solid works. 
• Begin to complete the Wire Assembly for the Robot
• By Feb. 9, we aim to complete the Robot on Solid works
• Begin to master the coding for Robot C

So far, we have overcome an obstacle that was hindering our progress. Since we haven't used Solid works in a while, we got off to a rocky start. However, we are picking up the pace and making up for lost time.

Post #8

Goals Accomplished:

• Refreshed our memory on mating
• Put all the CAD files into organized files
• Completed the basic structure of the Canopy

This week we continued on our work with the Solid-works Square Bot. Jordan and I were able to figure out the correct measurements for the perfect fit for our square bars within the Motor's and attaching them to the railings. With that we also were able to finish the basic structure of the chassis.

Post #7

Goals for this week:

• Look up a quick tutorial on Solid works and mating
• Organize all the files we download
• Complete the basic structure of the chassis

Today we were able to see and learn a few more tricks from Mr.Martin with Solidworks. We found a few short cuts and parts to save for last within the building of the Robots. Then we continued to assemble our Robot parts. With that we also came across a website with the exact parts we need to build this successfully rather than having to go and download random given parts to find one single part.

Post #6

Goals Accomplished:

• Downloaded all of the CAD Files
• Updated our Blogs

Today we got a quick review lesson on how to work with solid works again. We also figured out how to completely download the CAD files and we began working on the square bot. In the midst of all of this, we also updated our blogs if it was necessary.

Post #5

The Goals For This Week Are:

• To locate all the CAD Files so we can begin building the robot on SolidWorks
• Finish building the robot on SolidWorks by the end of the week
• Begin learning how to use RobotC in the upcoming weeks

So far, we have had trouble locating all the files for the robot. A majority of the class has forgotten how to use Solidworks. Hopefully by the end of the week, we will figure it out.

Post #4

Goals Accomplished:

• Familiarized ourselves with the Inventor's Guide
• Located some of the Solid works files for the Robot
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This week we continued to go through the VEX Inventors Guide. With that we saw the many parts and functions of those parts and how we can utilize them. We went through Logic, Programming, Control, Motion, Power, Structure, and Sensors. After that we went onto viewing the Robotic Coding program. In which we got to see the various Codes used to tell the Robots what to do and how to do them.

Post #3

The Goals For This Week Are:

• Finish discussing robot parts
• Get well acquainted with the Inventor's guide
• Start building the robot in the upcoming weeks

Today is the beginning of our second week learning more about robots and their parts. We will continue with the discussion of the various robot parts as well as how we can use them to our advantage. We will also start getting into the 2005 version of the Inventor's guide today.

Post #2

Goals Accomplished:

• We learned the structure, logic, and parts of the Squarebot
• Created a new, background, and layout for our blog
• Learned the different components of the Inventor's Guide

At the conclusion of our first week, we have gained knowledge about the function of various robot parts. We also learned how to edit several aspects of our blogs. We also learned of a guide system known as the "Inventor's Guide" that we can utilize to help us along our Robotic's learning process.

Post #1

The Goals For This Week Are:

• Design and get our blog up-to-date
• Assign roles to each member of the team
• Learn the basics about the squarebot

Today we created our blog to document our progress as we create our Robots. We established our groups today and it consists of Kendra, Ryan, and Jordan, and we named our team "Robots R Us". Also we set up the roles for each of us to do throughout the blog so everyone is doing something.